As many companies cut AI costs by using cheaper models, some, like Shopify, go all-in on frontier models, barring engineers from using anything else
THE SO WHAT
Model strategy is bifurcating: most enterprises are cost-optimizing on smaller models while a minority mandate frontier-only to chase product edge. If you pick the frontier path, treat it as a platform bet—lock in procurement discipline, latency budgets, and clear rules on where the extra capability must translate into revenue or retention.
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